Shelf



June 18, 1935. c. A. JOHNS v 2,005,372

SHELF Filed NOV. 28, 1934 Patented June 18, 1935 r I YU NlTED STATESPATENT OFFICE SHELF Carl A. Johns, Chicago, Ill. Application November28, 1934, Serial No. 755,134 40mins. (Cl. 21i 9s) My invention relatesto shelves and particularly to kitchen shelves adapted to. serve asrepositories for pot covers and the like.

It is an object of my invention to provide a shelf of the type describedwhich will be simple and inexpensive to make and which can be sold at alow price. Another object is to provide a shelf which will becollapsible so that it can be shipped in compact form but which will beeasy to assemble into operative position. Other and more detailedobjects will become apparent as the description of my inventionproceeds. V

Reference will now be had to the drawing which shows a specificembodiment of my invention together with certain alternative hook and inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my shelf in assembled condition;

Figure 2 is 'a side view corresponding to Figure 1;

Figure 3 'is a front elevation of the hook of Figures 1 and 2 shown inthe position which it takes when the shelf is incollapsed condition;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of an alternative hook;

Figure 5 is a partial side view corresponding to Figure 2 but showingstill another alternative hook mechanism; and

Figure 6 is a partial top view showing the latching device used with thehook of Figure 5.

Turning now to the drawing in more detail, it will be seen that myshelf-comprises a back member II and a front member I2 fastened togetherat their lower edges by any suitable means, e. g.

mechanisms by means of staples I3. I prefer to make mem-- hers I I andI2 of cardboard or, still better, of boxboard, since this gives a light,inexpensive, yet strong construction. Member II may suitably be boxboard.100 inch thick and member I2 may suitably be boxboard .080 inch thick.The dimensions may be varied within wide limits but member II may, forinstance, be 20 inches long and inches high.

Member II is provided with two or more eyelets I 4 near its upper edgeto receive hooks or nails to fasten the shelf to a wall or door.

Member I2 is scored along the line I5 so as to fold fairly readily. Whenthe shelf is shipped and sold it is in collapsed condition. Member I2 isthen alongside member II and must be folded outward when put inassembled condition. Member I2 is preferably somewhat less high thanmember I I so that its top edge is below the top edge of member I I whenthe two are folded together.

Near the ends of member II and at a level slightly below the level ofthe upper edge of member I2 when the latter is folded alongside member II are located a pair of ring plates. I6. which may suitably be fastenedto member II by means of rivets I'I.

These ring plates carry hooks which are preferably of the form shown inFigures 1, 2 and particularly 3. These hooks are mounted to swinghorizontally rather than vertically since to swing them out from avertical position would involve bending and thereby weakening member I2to an otherwise unnecessary extent. When member I2 is folded alongsidemember II the hooks are swung inward horizontally and are held betweenmembers II and I2.

These hooks are made from a piece of spring wire I8 bent into the shapeshown in Figure 3. The hooks carryouter projections I9 and innerprojections as shown. The hooks are adapted to cooperate with eyelets.2I located near the upper corners of member I2.

To assemble my shelf, member I2 is folded outward along scored line I5and the hooks are swung outward. The two legs of the hook shown inFigure 3 are then squeezed together which permits projections I9 to passthrough eyelets 2I and member I2 is thus held between projections I9 andprojections 20. The lower leg of the hook shown'in Figure 3 is shorterthan the upper leg and the projections are preferably bent as shown toparallel member I2 when the shelf is assembled.

The angle between members I I and I2 when the shelf is assembled maysuitably be from .15" to 45and preferably about 30. The shelf inassembled condition may be described as troughlike.

Figure 4 shows an alternative form of hook which may be fastened tomember II at 22. Curved part 23 slips around the edge of member I2 andthrough eyelet 2I and member I2 is then held between part 23 andprojection 24.

Figures 5 and 6 show still another form of hook consisting of a bentwire 25 fastened to member II by ring plates I6 and latching onto memberI2 by means of latch 26 having a projection 21 to hold the end of thehook. Latches 26 are provided at each end of member I2, facing inward sothat the covers contained in the shelf will not disengage the hook.

When my shelf is mounted on awall it is desirable to place a piece ofWood 28 back of it. This can be used to support a row of hooks 29 onwhich various kitchen utensils can be hung.

While I have described my invention in connection with certain specificembodiments thereof it is to be understood that I do not wish to belimited thereby and that various modifications falling within the scopeof the appended claims will occur to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A collapsible kitchen shelf comprising a vertical back member, meansfor attaching said back member to a vertical surface, a front memberattached to said back member at the respective lower edges of the twomembers said front member being adapted to lie alongside said backmember when said shelf is in condition for shipping and to fold forwardto form a trough-shaped shelf, a pair of hooks pivotally attached tosaid back member and adapted to swing inward and be confined betweensaid two members when said shelf is in condition for shipping and toswing outward for attachment to said front member when said shelf is incondition for use,and means for removably attaching said hooks to saidfront member, each hook. including a pair of substantially parallellegs, the free ends of which are adapted to engage means on said frontmember to hold said front member in rigid position.

2. A collapsible kitchen shelf for pot covers or the like comprising avertical boxboard back member, means located near the upper edge of saidmember for attaching said member to a wall, a front'boxboard member ofsubstantially the same length as said back member and of substantiallylesser height than said back member attached to said back member alongthe lower edges of said two members, said front member being scoredalong a horizontal line immediately above the points of attachment tosaid back member to enable said front member to lie alongside said backmember when said shelf is in condition for shipping and to fold forwardto form a troughshaped shelf, a pair of hooks permanently attachedtosaid back member at the ends thereof at a level immediately below theupper edge of said front member when said front member is alongside saidback member, said hooks being adapted to swing inward horizontally andto be confined between said two members when said shelf is in shippingcondition and to swing outward to permit their attachment to said frontmember when said front member is in position to form a trough-shapedshelf, means carried by said front member near the upper corners thereoffor receiving said hooks, and projections on said hooks to preventeither forward or backward movement of said front member when said hooksare positioned in said last-mentioned means.

3. A shelf according to claim 2 in which each of said hooks includes apair of substantially parallel legs, the free ends of which are adaptedto engage said means for receiving said hooks.

4. A collapsible kitchen shelf comprising a vertical back member, meansfor attaching said back member to a vertical surface, a front memberattached to said back member at the respective lower edges of the twomembers, said front member being adapted to lie alongside said backmember when said shelf is in condition for shipping and to fold forwardto form a trough-shaped shelf, a pair of hooks pivotally attached tosaid back member and adapted to swing inward substantially horizontallyand be confined between said two members when said shelf is in conditionfor shipping and to swing outward for attachment to said front memberwhen said shelf is in condition for use, means carried by said frontmember for receiving said hooks, means carried by each of said hooksadapted to project through said last-mentioned means and to preventforward motion of said front member when said shelf is in condition foruse and additional means carried by each of said hooks adapted toprevent rearward motion of said front member when said shelf is incondition for use.

CARL A. JOHNS.

